The Challenging Combat of CrossCode
CrossCode is the game that has seriously challenged me with its combat system with simple pixel sprites reminiscent of the Gameboy advance but with enemies who have been engineered to perfection as a form of stepping stone for the player to then master other skills.
Before diving into the combat, we must know what this game is CrossCode is an action RPG game that takes place in a fictional MMORPG game where you play as Lea a player who has suffered from amnesia and has figure out her past to uncover the secret of this MMORPG by playing in this semi digital world. The story is mostly structured as a grand journey where we learn more about the setting of the game with each of its regions and its inhabitants however behind the codes of the game lies a sinister plan that could affect all the players' lives in the real world. This journey wouldn't be lonely as Lea would be accompanied by her best pal Emille, her wiki pal Toby and her rival Apollo who are all bubbling with amazing personalities that make you love Emille commentary and hate Apollo’s constant call for 1v1 just to show off.
CrossCode has a simple but punishing combat system the main forms of combats are melee and ranged. In the melee, you have one simple combo of attacks along with block and dash/dodge and each of them has a limitation, a block can be broken after a long period of damage being absorbed whereas a dash is limited to three continuous uses after which it makes Lea spin around aimlessly. In range, you have two options charged and bullets, charged give higher damage and ricochet but take time to shoot, and bullets are rapid and continuous but with less damage. That is the basic function moving on to the advanced section where you can use special moves or arts that connect each action's block, dash, melee and range which uses up SP special points which recharge after defeating each enemy.
You can also use four elements to better your combat with that being fire, ice, wave and shock however using these elements causes an increase in the chance of being Overload which reverts back to neutral resulting into a cooldown. Each element boots certain stats with examples being ice boosting defense and fire boosting attacks also even provides more powerful special arts. The punishing aspect would be the enemies and bosses you encounter who can easily take you down if you are unprepared as some of them can use the elements to their advantage by slowing you down with ice or paralyze you with shock. It is even more punishing when some bosses and enemies are armored thus forcing you to find their weakness through their barrages of accurate attacks.
While the combat and story can be engaging the same could not be said for the puzzle section while it is fun for a while but gets more frustrating as most puzzles are based on timing and accuracy which means that if you fail on the timing or accuracy you have to restart the whole process which can be satisfying after a decent amount of tries but it gets even more frustrating when the next section is also puzzle as well but more complicated thus leading to another set of mistakes and frustration.
In conclusion, this game brings back nostalgia from the Gameboy era with its background soundtrack and amazing pixel sprites but refined to perfection with its puzzles and combat system along with its wonderful cast of characters and setting to build a solid story. A special mention to the final boss as the character design and attacks were truly impressive to incorporate an Indian god as a digital deity who uses the carrom discs to attack was something unexpected and truly made the battle even more engaging.
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